


The Beast Situation

by AllTheWayMae



Series: Blyla and Fam [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: A moment of angst, Brothers being assholes, Chatfic (for a min), Commander Bly is done, Crack, Crackfic (ish), Everyone is also bored, Everyone's a little chaotic, Gen, He's tired, Mostly nonsense, Some pining, Someone has to be responsible, Wildlife, attempted wildlife adoption, brothers being brothers, cute animal inspiration, folks just want a pet, mascot, some mom and dad energy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:08:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26453908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllTheWayMae/pseuds/AllTheWayMae
Summary: Bly isn't a monster. Objectively speaking ...he gets it.But the little beast cannot come home with them. The instant it steps paw aboard will be the moment it decides to turn feral.  And how, pray tell, would he fill out that incident report without getting laughed out of command?[Where Bly is the dad who doesn't want to care about the strange pet his family is falling for. He. Will. Not.]Mostly crack with some feelings sprinkled in.
Relationships: CC-5052 | Bly/Aayla Secura
Series: Blyla and Fam [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1944805
Comments: 7
Kudos: 105





	The Beast Situation

* * *

.Day 1 of The Beast Situation.

Bly needs to review the SOPs for a temporary military encampment.

Because a thing is going on and he’s gotta put a stop to it. He just needs a solid reason. The boys are going to pitch a wholeass fit, but if he can quote the regs then oops-it’s-not-his-fault-so-hey-tough-shit. 

Due process and whatnot.

Zig says he’s overreacting. 

But Bly is onto Zig - he is much softer than he wants to let on. 

This whole debacle (and it _will_ be a debacle; Bly just knows it) started only hours ago.

The Beast - _no, Bly will not call it by the name you’ve given it, Mav, so stop fucking asking_ \- had wandered into their camp in the early hours when the men were just starting to wake up. No big deal, one might assume. That sort of thing happened. They always have perimeter trips set up against large predators, but smaller critters often scurry in and out without alarm. Generally such creatures ended up on a spit over a fire with much experimental sniffing and excited rubbing of hands because _sure_ they might know fuck all about the culinary arts but their rations are monotonous. Something roasting over the fire is at least interesting even if it winds up inedible. 

This particular animal hasn’t gotten that treatment. 

No. 

It had strayed upon Talon Squad as they shook together their morning MREs. They’d all gotten a good look at it and unanimously declared it innocent and perfect. In other words: friend. 

So far no soldier has had a mind to disagree. 

And, hey, Bly isn’t a monster. Objectively speaking, _he_ _gets_ it. 

The thing is ....adorable. 

Not a word he often uses, but there it is. 

There’s no consensus about the thing’s species. They aren’t xenozoologists, and they’re in BFN without casual access to the holonet. 

Because of its general shape and plated hide, Mav has hypothesized it is a crossbreed of a lothcat and barcatu. Who’s to say whether that’s scientifically possible, but no one has a better-loved explanation so he is leading the betting pool for now. Fester had tried to convince everyone it had to have some porg in it too - _no? Then how comes it’s got those big eyes, genius, huh?! -_ but the suggestion that a bird had gotten in on the mating situation had him soundly shouted down for absurdity.

Part bastard porg or no, The Beast has endeared itself to everyone. 

Bly smells trouble. 

.Day 2 of The Beast Situation.

Well. The Beast officially has a home. 

At least two - but possibly three or four - of the men have given up a blanket so it can have a cozy little nest near Talon Squad’s cluster. Bly spots it when he’s taking routine headcount. 

No one makes eye contact with him when he stops to stare. 

By evening he’s seen both Teek and Green trying to coax it into nibbling out of their palms. He wants to stop them but figures he can’t...not until it bites someone and causes a fetid infection so he can get Zig’s medical opinion on his side. 

He finds out via Galle - _grinning all the while like it’s not common knowledge you shouldn’t feed wildlife, the fuckwad_ \- that The Beast likes Hucklenut flavored ration bars. 

What he thinks Bly will do with that information... The Commander doesn’t know. 

What he does know is that if The Beast has established firm residency with the 327th then it’s time he inform Aayla. 

She is on Kamino at the moment. Aayla loathes it there but adores Shaak Ti, so when her friend had asked her to come she’d answered the summons - Bly still doesn’t know what the visit is all about but Aayla had promised to fill him in when she knows more. He has been sending her daily updates at precisely 21:00 but left out mention of The Beast until now because it seemed like a silly thing to loop the General in on. 

Plus he had hoped, deep down, that the issue would dissolve itself. 

Foolish, really.

She rarely has lengthy responses to his reports since they aren’t seeing action, but her reply is swift in order to request a picture of The Beast. And, at first, Bly is quite pleased. _Yes_! A photo - of course! When she sees the length of its claws she will agree it’s unwise to get too close...

Instead, she gets enthusiastic about offering a few suggestions for the species-prediction bets. Then she asks if anyone has _named the dear_ yet. 

The fucking dear?

So. She’s a traitor. 

Bly is still figuring out what to do with that information but, truth be told ...he should have guessed. She’d been really too sympathetic to the cannocks they'd had trouble with on Telos a few months back, and that was _after_ those little cretins had eaten some of their equipment. “There’s something about them...” she’d said, which had been enough to convince the men to run the scavengers off rather than see what they tasted like

Bly dutifully types back that Talon Squad has been happy to name the dopey thing BAMF, but he hates every second of it. 

.Day 3 of The Beast Situation.

Bly is an island. 

The Beast had scuttled off for a few hours this evening, and once all of the _“What? No, I thought he was with you...what the fuck! I’m not a dickclown -_ ** _you’re_** _the dickclown!”_ got around, Talon Squad had organized an honest-to-Maker grid search to locate him before nightfall. Bly hadn’t bothered to get in their way. If scouring the forest made them feel better about the inevitability of parting ways, then by all means. Proceed. Scour a-fucking-way. 

He thought sweet relief had come... 

...right up until Green spotted it up a tree overlooking the camp. 

Long claws, it turns out, are great for scaling rough bark. Everyone is now very taken with the little guy’s ingenuity. Fresh bets are going around about how long he’ll stay clung up there. 

The lengths people will go to when they’re bored, Bly well knows, are fucking incredible. 

He turns his attention away and continues to heat up his night’s rations. They taste marginally less bland when hot, and he’ll take that much. 

But he must have _a look_ on his face because Zig calls him out:

“You’re being a dick about this” 

Sure sure sure. But also, consider: _he’s right_. Hm? How about that. 

“It’s harmless fun,” the medic waves off this bid at logic. 

Uh-huh. Yes. 

Until it’s not. 

The longer The Beast stays, the stickier everyone is going to be about leaving it behind when they pack up to leave. They were supposed to meet up with the rest of the battalion yesterday, but transports had been delayed. While that would be inconvenient on a good day...Bly is sure the men are using the extra time to figure out how to best sneak The Beast back to the ship. 

Needless to say, it _is not_ welcome on The Liberty. Nope. No go. Permission denied, soldier. The instant it steps paw aboard will certainly be the moment it decides to turn feral. And how, pray tell, would he fill out _that_ incident report without getting laughed straight out of Command? 

There will be no adoptions today. 

Or tomorrow. 

...or for however many days they’re stuck camped here. 

Rather than sink into a debate with Zig, Bly scarfs down his food and gets to work on his report to Aayla. It’s not 21:00 yet, but early is better than late. 

He’ll make sure to mention The Beast so she can’t forget his ire. If she were here she would probably roll her eyes, so he wouldn’t bother to complain. But she’s not, so he can say whatev-- _actually_. Uh. Scratch that. He enjoys very much when she rolls her eyes with that small smile of hers ...he absolutely would be stubborn about this if she were here. 

Day 4 of The Beast Situation

They’re calling it a mascot. 

“...seriously? You’ve trained it to _follow you_?” Bly sighs when Sgt Green approaches with The Beast trailing his heel. 

“Me? No. I’m not making it do anything ...it chooses to follow me.”

Bantha-fucking-shit. If Green hadn’t bribed The Beast with a few snacks to keep up then Bly will eat his whole helmet. 

He hates - _absolutely loathes_ \- that it’s kind of impressive. 

It’s definitely _not_ cool. 

Right. 

Kriffing shit.

He needs to poll a room. 

**CC_5052 [Bly] to: Command Group**  
Any of your crews have mascots?

**CC_1010 [Fox]:**  
The fuck? 

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** That’s not an answer  
Next

**CC_10/994 [Grey]:**  
...does a Padawan count?  
Because we have a Caleb. 

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** Maybe.  
Unclear.  
The rest of you? 

**CC_1010 [Fox]:  
** Excuse me. Is my question not valid? 

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** No

**CC_10/994 [Grey]:  
** No

**CC_1010 [Fox]:  
** Fine.  
Coruscant Guard has Grizzer.  
Now fuck off. 

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** Uncalled for?

**CC_10/994 [Grey]:  
** We’re your brothers!

**CC_1010 [Fox]:  
** KINDLY fuck off

**CC_2224 [Cody]:**  
General Kenobi confirms: Padwans are not to be mascots

**CC_10/994 [Grey]:  
** The fuck you say?!

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** I do not say  
General Kenobi says.  
But I can pass along your message verbatim and ask for clarification?

**CC_10/994 [Grey]:  
** Don’t  
We rally around Caleb. That makes him a mascot, no? 

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** And he likes being called your mascot?

**CC_10/994 [Grey]:  
** Dunno. Can report back on that.  
But me and Styles took him to the firing range. Pretty sure he’ll let us call him what we want

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** Nice

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** Nice.  
Now back to task  
Cody, you got a mascot?

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** Why do I have a bad feeling about this question?

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** All on the up and up  
Promise  
Still waiting for answer.

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** Hmmm...

**CC_3636 [Wolffe]:**  
Wolfpack mascot is a wolf.  
The fact you have to ask should embarrass you

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** …  
So you are the mascot?

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** Interesting choice

**CC_3636 [Wolffe]:  
** Negative. I’m the commander

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** And also mascot

**Cc_3636 [Wolffe]:  
** Wolffe  
Wolf  
Spelling is different

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** Alright. Fair

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** Fair

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** Still waiting for your answer, Code

**CC_6454 [Ponds]:**  
Attention. General Windu confirms: Padawans can sometimes be mascots

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** I’m thinking  
General Kenobi’s light saber? That count?

**CC_6454 [Ponds]:  
** …  
...a euphemism? Nice.

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** I’ll kill you

**CC-6454 [Ponds]:  
** Hah

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** You’re still in the Alzoc system, right?  
Prepare to be dead.  
Everyone, say goodbye to your brother

**CC_3636 [Wolffe]:  
** Bye

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** Bye

**CC_10/994 [Grey]:  
** No! Wait. Ponds has to tell us more about mascot Padawans.  
Allowed?

**Cc_6454 [Ponds]:  
** General Windu says yes  
Says you can confirm with your Jedi

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** We are getting off topic here

**CC_10/944 [Grey]:  
**... ...I cannot confirm with her.

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
**?

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
**?!

**CC_3636 [Wolffe]:  
** If you lost your fekking General....

**CC_10/994 [Grey]:  
** Negative. Not lost. Never.  
General Billaba was Windu’s Padawan.  
Smells like a trap

**CC_6454 [Ponds]:  
** Hah!

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** Back to point please

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** What IS the point?

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** Mascots  
Anyone have a live mascot?  
A non-Padawan live mascot?

**CC_6454 [Ponds]:  
**...

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
**...

**CC_6454 [Ponds]:  
** You can’t have a Twi’Lek as your mascot, little brother

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** Confirmed

**CC_3636 [Wolffe]:  
** Confirmed

**CC_1010 [Fox]:  
** Fucking confirmed

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** Cody I thought you were murdering him?  
And Fox, you can stay gone

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** Threat retracted  
... ...tell us your mascot, Bly.

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** Don’t have one

**CC_6454 [Ponds]:  
** Lie

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** It’s a fact

**CC_3636 [Wolffe]:  
** Doubtful

**CC_10/944 [Grey]:  
** ^

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** Bly

**CC_6454 [Ponds]:  
** Bly  
Bly

**CC_5052 [Bly]:**  
...my guys are hatching plans for adoption. 

**CC_10/994 [Grey]:  
** Of a padawan?!

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** No

**CC_ 10/944 [Grey]:  
** Oh. You should get one tho

**CC_3636 [Wolffe]:  
** Yeah? From the Padawan store? 

**CC_ 10/994 [Grey]:  
** I mean. Sure? Cannot confirm.  
Can ask Caleb

**CC_ 1010 [Fox]:  
** Pre-Padawans live at The Temple.  
100% can confirm the location  
But 100% will not accompany if you are stealing, Bly

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** What?

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** I’m not hearing this

**CC_3636 [Wolffe]:  
** Same

**CC_ 6454 [Ponds]:  
**...I’m not NOT curious

**CC_10/994 [Grey]:  
** Undecided

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** The fuck  
I’m not stealing? A youngling? 

**CC_ 2224 [Cody]:  
** You’re sure? 

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** I never said anything about a Padawan  
Not once

**CC_10/994 [Grey]:  
** They’re good tho.  
Cpt Rex could confirm. 

**CC_ 2224 [Cody]:  
** Eh  
...that’ll be 50/50 from him

**CC_10/994 [Grey]:  
** He’s a filthy liar then

**CC_3636 [Wolffe]:  
** Shut the fuck up.  
Bly. Explain. 

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** Boys want to adopt an animal. Calling it a mascot  
It wandered into camp. 

**CC_3636 [Wolffe]:  
** Oh. Just cook it  
Problem solved

**CC_ 2224 [Cody]:  
** Agreed

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** No longer an option

**CC_3636 [Wolffe]:  
** Not comprehending

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
**...it’s hard to explain

**CC_ 1010 [Fox]:  
** Full stop. You can’t just eat a pet!

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** ^

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** So it’s domestic?  
Like Grizzer? 

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** Not like Grizzer.  
But yes? And no? 

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** It’s one or the other

**CC_5052 [Bly]:  
** It’s really not

**CC_1010 [Fox]:  
** Is so.  
Eat it.  
Then get a massiff like Grizzer.  
Can confirm your efficiency will increase make your work 30% easier.  
I’ve run the numbers

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** Oh really?

**CC_1010 [Fox]:  
** Yes 

**CC_2224 [Cody]:  
** Say more about that

Conversation utterly derailed for the foreseeable future, Bly mutes the conversation’s comm notifications for the next ten minutes. Eh - better round that up to a solid fifteen. Fox was going to be stuck answering questions for a while; poor bastard should’ve known better.

Bly considers. 

“Mascot” does sound better than “pet”.

  
  


.Day 5 of The Beast Situation.

Another rotation and Bly fields several curious questions about the maybe-mascot. The discussions are largely unfruitful, and three of them go similar to this: 

**CC_10/994 [Grey] to: Command Group  
** You’ve caused intrigue. Please describe.  
In detail 

**CC_5052 [Bly] to: Command Group  
** No 

**CC_2224 [Cody] to: Command Group  
** Send photo?  


**CC_5052 [Bly] to: Command Group  
** No

**CC_6454 [Ponds] to: Command Group  
** Scale 1-10, then.  
How cute are we talking? 

**CC_3636 [Wolffe] to: Command Group  
** Fuck’s sake! Just send the shitty photo. 

Bly doesn’t send a picture. 

But he has, by no fault of his own, been watching The Beast more....and he’s now half-convinced it is actually domesticated. 

It is much too happy about that little pile of blankets. And it _has_ to know what it’s doing. Always watching and blinking its eyes at people with expectation. 

He’s going to keep a closer eye out. 

  
  
.Day 6 of The Beast Situation.

The Beast still lives in the camp, but tonight he _(well, the boys are calling it “he” but it could be a she?...they don’t know yet. There’s betting on that, too)_ is a distant shadow in the recesses of Bly’s mind

He’s worried. 

Rather than type a message back to his latest update, Aayla had opened up a holovid transmission. That had excited him, even relieved him in a way he hadn’t realized he was waiting for. One look at her, however, and he had known she was troubled. On edge. 

She hadn’t known how much she wanted to say over the line.She’d simply shared that Shaak was trying promotes changes to some of the training on Kamino, but first she wanted a consensus from some of the other Generals. 

Part of Bly wants to ask his old squad-mates if _their_ Generals have been on Kamino recently, but he doesn’t see that conversation going down well over chat. Not in a group, anyway.Maybe he’ll ask Cody...

And another part of him is offended. Should _soldiers_ not be consulted about how to best train new troopers? Who else would know better about what did or didn’t work in the regimen? 

But mostly. Mostly he’s not sure what to think. He’s equal parts thrilled and a little sick.He doesn’t  know anyone on Kamino anymore, but he’s connected to them by brotherhood...so he's curious.For better or worse, he will never forget his own years on Kamino. It wasn’t normal how they were raised there- _wasn’t_ _right_ \- and he’s still working out what that means to him. 

Aayla has pulled bits and pieces out of him. Gets all _asky_ when he says something she finds curious _._ Comes back around to it later when they’re alone. _As if_ she’d had the galaxy’s simplest childhood growing up a fekking Jedi. But that’s a whole other thing. 

No wonder she wants to have the conversation in person. 

_Of course she would._

Something swoops around in his gut before fluttering to a home in his chest. 

Ponds would call it his balls rescinding their occupation of his body. 

But Bly knows what it is. 

Finally. 

Uh. Mostly. 

His feelings for Aayla had been vague in the beginning. Ominous and shapeless. They’d mostly loomed in the distance, swooping close at inopportune times to throw him off-kilter and then ebbing before he could piece them together. 

He’d felt lust before, of course. He’d gone through puberty in a dorm full of young males; they’d all deduced what was what pretty damn quick. But there’s getting aroused by any-ole-body and then there’s coveting the General you’d sworn to serve. 

And _then_ there’s the admiration and loyalty and respect and pride and a jumble of other very real emotions braided into that. 

It’s twisted up in a knot he’s still parsing out some days. Complicated in a way he knows he isn’t meant to even _want_ to figure. 

Aayla knows it. 

The depth of his longing, the way his frustration flares and flows... he doesn’t always hide it the way he ought. Bly knows she can feel it pressing toward her from time to time. Sometimes, when she allows it, he sees similar reflected back to him in her wide, brown eyes. He’d feared it was something pitying and false at first until she assured him, in quiet murmurs, that it was incredibly real to her. 

Reciprocity.

They mostly talk _around_ it. Skim _over_ it. Brush their words across the _edges_ of it. Bly would probably hate her a little for that, would worry she was toying with him, if he didn’t know it has to be that way. That Aayla will never push while he’s still unraveling his wants and needs apart from his given purpose. _His fekking design_. 

She’s told him before, in that same quiet way that no one else could overhear, that they _can_ have something - that they already _do_. Something undefinable and hard to see, something they’ll have to carve a shape of together. But... it has to be him. He has to be sure. Has to be ready.

That if she ever thought she’s made him feel he _had_ to give her what she wanted...well.

And fuck. He’s _so ready_. 

So why do his fingers curl reflexively around control, around order whenever he’s about to let go...

“ _Fucking_ hells...” 

Bly drops his head into his palms so he can dig the heel of his hands into his eyes. Scrub at them just a little too hard. 

He should be sleeping. He doesn’t have a watch duty tonight; there’s no reason for him to --

A _scritching_ noise just beside him has him reaching for his sidearm until The Beast shuffles into the firelight. 

“Ah. _You_...” 

There’s fatigue in his words rather than real animosity. The thing doesn’t rustle up his annoyance tonight.

It chitters nonsense at him. Then bumbles closer to sniff at his boot, his ankle, up towards his knee. He yanks his hand away before Beast can touch his fingers because he’s still cautious, if not irritated. 

It darts back, equally wary, and Bly finds he feels _bad_ about that. 

But after blinking at him once, twice it’s snuffling around his fire in a way he recognizes. It’s not unlike how Bly might poke around a brother’s footlocker with slow innocence if said brother is known to hide contraband snacks - _Bly is partial to chocolate, thanks._

“A real sneak, I see,” Bly absolutely does _not_ chuckle.

He also does _not_ reach into a back pocket on his utility belt where he stashes sustenance. He has a small sleeve of electrolyte gel and a protein stick that is _not_ Hucklenut but will probably be more satisfying than the flavorless goop. 

After scanning the area for watchful eyes, Bly rips open the protein stick and holds it out. 

Beast watches. Leans in with interest once the food is exposed. Steps a bit closer. A little closer still it hesitates for a few beats, nose twitching. Then it scampers forward to knock the food from Bly’s fingers and chomps it up off the ground. 

Bly does _not_ laugh at this, either. 

Beast sits its weight back on its haunches and holds the stick still between its front paws while munching little bites. All the while it makes little noises that can only be described as _delight_ , guttural but high-pitched somewhere in its throat. 

And damn it all to the nine hells, Bly does _not_ enjoy it one bit. 

If he feels lighter now than he had minutes ago, it has _nothing_ to do with Beast. 

“You can’t come live with us, you know,” he tells it. 

It lifts it’s black eyes to him like it understands, but only for a second before diving back into the crumbling protein stick. 

“Alright. So long as we’re on the same page...” 

_Yes,_ he’s talking to it...but just to explain the rules. Not because he likes it. Facts are just facts. 

His fingers don’t itch to reach out and see if he’s allowed to pet it’s stiff scales. No, sir, they don’t.   
  
  


Day 7 of The Beast Situation

The day is full of static-filled calls back and forth to The Liberty as they make plans for their belated pick-up

Beast comes and goes because it has the luxury of not needing to be tactical and not needing to oversee the tear-down of the camp. Not that there’s many orders to give; they’ve been at this war long enough to be efficient about the job. 

Still. Beast is useless. 

Maybe Bly wants a nap, too. Huh?

But Beast has probably never even considered _that_. 

  
  
.Day 8 of The Beast Situation.

“You trying to make it choke?” 

“Get fucked,” Bly doesn’t look away from the Hucklenut protein bar wrapper Beast is trying to lick every bit of taste off of. 

“Just sayin’...”

“He’s smart enough not to eat it”

When Tyto doesn’t respond, Bly finally glances up and immediately hates the smirk being leveled at him. 

He’d complimented the thing. Big deal. 

Essentially all he’d said is the thing isn’t brainless; so-fucking-what?  _So what_ if he’d given it breakfast. Or second or third breakfast, knowing how everyone had been tossing scraps to it lately...

“You need something?” 

“Yeah,” Tyto’s chuckling. “Teek and Brightside found some natives near the perimeter.”

Bly stiffens up even though he knows the Captain wouldn’t be so casual and chatty if there was a current threat. They are pretty far from any local villages, though, so it’s a surprise. 

“And?” 

“...dunno. They’re young and only got so much Basic. Won’t leave, though.”

Usually hand-sign is enough to get people to disappear even if they don’t share language. Fancy words aren’t needed when you just gotta tell someone to scram. 

“Let’s go...” 

Something brushes his ankle and Bly finds Beast following along. 

Fucking _seriously?_ Right now? 

Bly feels compromised.

“...you brainwash him?” 

“Real funny... ...no! Go look for food or something,” he thrusts a finger at Beast, who blinks at him. “You stay put.” 

Then, like he understands just perfectly, Beast flops down, rolls onto his back, and scratches his scales into the dirt. 

“Well hell...” 

Bly agrees but says nothing. Acts like this was par for the bolo pitch instead of endearing as shit. 

“Come on...” 

... ...

  
Two Days Post-Beast 

“So Beast was theirs all along?” Aayla’s eyes are crinkled in a way Bly enjoys more than he has any explicit right to. 

He grants himself a moment to stare anyway. 

Then he looks away out the wide, starboard viewing window they’re standing next to. Aayla loves to gaze into space sometimes; says it helps conceptualize her place and appreciate all she has yet to know. Which, fine? It’s scenic, to be sure, but Bly has never fully agreed there’s anything to be gained by staring at glittering stars that are too far away to matter. 

He stays because he appreciates the way Aayla enjoys it. 

They are both aboard The Liberty, now. He’s been back forty eight standard hours; she’d recently arrived back at ass-o’clock, but the flight crew had roused him like he requested and he’d dressed to greet her. In theory all updates and debriefings could wait... 

But he’s learned that sometimes theory is shit. 

He’d wanted to see her. 

“Yeah,” he answers once he’s not distracted by drinking in her face. “Guess she - it was a _she_ , by the way - wanders off a lot and always comes back. But a week gone was pushing the kids’ patience...” 

“Was everyone disappointed?”

“No...well, I mean _yeah_ ,” Bly snorts. “Only because they sortta thought they were special getting her to stick around like that.”

“Despite your best efforts?” she snarks and nudges his shoulder. 

A gesture perfectly casual to anyone who’d pass by - friendly at worst - but his skin feels warm through the sleeve of his blacks. He’d only half-armored up to come meet her at this hour, and he’s grateful for that choice. Feeling her touch him when she doesn’t strictly have to ...it lets him know it’s not just him because she’s reaching too. Searching. 

“Ah she _grew_ on me...but fungus grows on old food so...” 

“Mmhmm,” her humm of acknowledgement is a little too knowing. 

“Anyway, they were glad she had a home to get back to...” 

_Tickled_ , really. They’d asked all sorts of questions. 

No one had won the species bets, but they got over that when they learned she knew how to do fucking tricks for snacks -- _“Oops- guess we spoiled her boys!”_ They were far less impressed to find her name was actually Gissy - _“the fuck does that even mean?”_ _-_ but had gone wild over the excited way she reacted to hearing said name. 

“That’s lovely....” 

Mm, yeah. _Or_ it was unprofessional. 

But...the two aren’t exactly mutually exclusive, are they?

He decides not to tell her that Talon Squad promised Beast they were going to paint her likeness on the next resupply of missiles. Maybe it was immature, but it’s also one of the more poignant shows of affection they could offer around here. He’ll leave that as a surprise for Aayla. 

“Don’t make that face - you’ve already admitted you liked her in the end”

Bly smirks. 

She certainly _had_ done something for morale, and now that he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt she has not been snuck aboard the ship he can better admire her for that. 

Still. 

“Everyone left camp with all their fingers, so I can’t be mad...”

Aayla eyes do that crinkle thing again as she smiles his way, and he returns it. Then he’s swallowing a thick sort of feeling because this is nice, _so nice_ , and he doesn’t want to ruin it...but he also wants to know. Wants to hear what she learned. 

“So ...that’s a pretty detailed report of what _I’ve_ been up to,” he pauses in sorry recognition of the fact that her face falls more neutral. “Guess it’s your turn.” 

She sighs and nods because she _had_ promised. She owes it...he wouldn’t put it to her in so many words, but she knows it. 

“I think you’ll like what I learned, but I promise you that your story was more fun …. ...thought I _did_ hope to come home to a pet...”

“Don’t even start,” he fights the upturn of his lips and scrubs a wide hand through his hair, annoyed he can’t even gripe about Beast properly. “Besides, it would’ve been a _mascot_.”

“And a very fearsome one from the sounds of it”

He can’t fight the grin that time, but he does roll his eyes so he at least has that going for him. 

“Come on,” she nudges his shoulder again.

Softer this time and paired with a small nod of her head so they can find privacy for the rest of their conversation.

Back to the war.

**Author's Note:**

> ...idk dudes.  
> I saw a picture of a pangolin (recommend) and watched videos of a porcupine eating (highly recommend) ...and then the next thing I knew I needed the 327th to find something cute. That's the only excuse I have for myself here.  
> Enjoy.
> 
> https://its-alltheway.tumblr.com/


End file.
